Nigeria invests $9m in research to drive digital economy ambitions

Nigeria has committed $9 million (₦12 billion) to a new national research initiative aimed at strengthening evidence-based policymaking and accelerating its transition to a knowledge-driven digital economy.

The programme, known as the National Digital Economy Research Clusters Initiative, was launched on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Abuja through a partnership between the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and the Federal Ministry of Education. 

Funded under Project BRIDGE, the initiative signals a strategic shift toward integrating research, innovation, and human capital development into the country’s digital transformation agenda.

At its core, the initiative brings together universities and research institutions across six thematic areas: connectivity and meaningful access, digital public infrastructure, digital skills and human capital, jobs and the digital economy, trust and safety, and artificial intelligence. 

The clusters are expected to generate policy-relevant insights while strengthening collaboration between academia and government.

Speaking at the launch in Abuja, communications minister Bosun Tijani, stated that the move was a necessary step in building a self-sustaining digital ecosystem. 

“From the outset, we recognised a simple truth: the digital economy is a knowledge-driven sector. We cannot rely only on ideas developed elsewhere, so we must generate our own insights, rooted in our realities,” he said.

The government sees the initiative as part of a broader effort to align infrastructure investments with local research and talent development. 

Nigeria’s digital economy contribution to GDP has grown from between 16% and 18% to nearly 20%, with officials projecting it will reach 21% in the near term.

Tijani also underscored the role of universities in delivering the programme’s objectives, calling for a shift beyond traditional teaching. 

“Our universities must go beyond teaching and become engines of problem-solving, where real national challenges are studied and solved with rigour,” he said. 

He pointed to earlier investments in artificial intelligence research that have already produced more than 27 peer-reviewed publications and improved Nigeria’s global Artificial Intelligence readiness ranking.

Education minister, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the collaboration would help position Nigerian universities at the forefront of solving real-world challenges by strengthening the link between research, policy, and practical application. 

He added that the initiative would also support the development of highly skilled researchers, including PhD and postdoctoral candidates.